PHILADELPHIA – For Monday, at least, the uniform that Brandon Ingram sported featured red, white, and blue colors, and the 76ers’ logo. Whether or not Ingram ends up with the team is a matter that likely won’t be settled until June 23rd, when the league holds its annual draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Ingram is widely viewed as one of the top two players available this year, and the Sixers, for the third time in franchise history, hold the number one pick. “It went really well,” Ingram said following his private workout Monday at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. “We worked on different things, just developing comfortability with coaches and teammates. Overall, it was great.”Coach Brown and Brandon Ingram chattin’ after today’s workout. pic.twitter.com/2Sd9pdEMSE— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) June 13, 2016 A lanky, rangy swing man who boasts a seven-plus foot wingspan and steady shooting touch, Ingram spent more than an hour on the Sixers’ practice court. The Duke product was put through an assortment of agility and basketball-related drills, including exercises that revolved around pick-and-roll execution, shooting, and mobility. Among the two dozen or so onlookers in attendance Monday were President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo, head coach Brett Brown, and a few of the Sixers’ co-owners. Current players Robert Covington, Joel Embiid, T.J. McConnell, Jahlil Okafor, and Nik Stauskas were in the gym for portions of Ingram’s workout as well. SIXERS.COM PHOTO GALLERY: Brandon Ingram Pre-Draft WorkoutUnlike the Sixers’ previous five pre-draft workouts, all of which involved six participants, Monday’s session had just one invitee, Ingram. “I think Brandon is everything we thought he was,” Colangelo said Monday afternoon. “Obviously, in a one-on-none workout, you’re not going to learn everything about a player, but that’s why we scouted a lot of basketball games, watched a lot of tape. “He’s a versatile forward that can handle the ball, can shoot the ball. I referred to him as a silky smooth small forward. He can do a lot. I like what I see.”Ingram arrived in Philadelphia over the weekend, and dined with several members of the organization on Sunday, the eve of his tryout. “It’s an overall great city,” Ingram said, adding that a few fans spotted him in Rittenhouse Square. “Of course, it’s great guys around here, great teammates around here, great people around here. Overall, I felt comfortable in the city.” Prior to Monday, the Sixers had hosted at their headquarters only a pair of potential first-round selections – Baylor’s Taurean Prince and Saint Joseph’s DeAndre’ Bembry. Having the chance to interact with a prospect of Ingram’s caliber was an opportunity the franchise valued. “He’s just a wonderful young man, a terrific basketball player, but also a terrific human being,” said Colangelo, who also spoke extensively with Ingram at last month’s NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. “It’s great to be able to spend some time with him and talk to him about his upbringing and talk to him about Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski] and his experiences at Duke. You learn so much more about a person when you sit down face to face and talk with them.”In Ingram’s lone season at Duke, he proved to be a force, averaging 17.3 points per game, which was good for sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and 6.8 rebounds per outing, Duke’s second-highest individual total. Recognized as an All-American and the ACC Rookie of the Year, Ingram was especially dangerous from outside the arc, where he connected on 80 three-pointers. He scored a total of 69 points in Duke’s three NCAA Tournament contests. “I think I started off struggling a little bit, but then I picked it up,” said Ingram, crediting the Blue Devils’ coaching staff and his teammates for his development. “They made my confidence go sky high, and I just stepped it up.””You saw a rapid progression from early season activity to the end of the year,” Colangelo said. “You can only project out so much based on what you’ve seen, but what we’ve seen so far, where he was, and where he’s come, you can go all the way back to his high school stuff, whether it was the [2015 Nike] Hoop Summit, or some of those other sanctioned games that we can scout, he’s come a long way.”To the point where now either Ingram or LSU forward Ben Simmons will likely be the first to hear his name called on draft night. “I’m just happy to be drafted,” said Ingram. “It’s my lifelong dream. Wherever I end up, I’ll be happy. “I feel like I should be an NBA player. I can’t make the decision at the end of the day. I worked so hard to get to this point.”Before the end of the week, both Ingram and Simmons are expected to complete their respective physicals. The medical information that these tests provide is “going to be a big part…of what goes into the final decision” in respect to which player the Sixers choose first, according to Colangelo. As for Ingram’s future, Colangelo sounded fairly certain about one thing.”He’s going to be an asset for whichever team takes him, whether it’s us, or another team.”Simmons, meanwhile, has yet to participate in any team-specific workouts; however, Colangelo said the Sixers are “working on still arranging a visit.”
Coach Brown and Brandon Ingram chattin’ after today’s workout. pic.twitter.com/2Sd9pdEMSE
